Saturday, November 17, 2012

Bald


Growing up I had bright red-hair, freckles, pale skin and I was a middle child. Now tell me what about that scenario is fair?! I've grown to like my freckles despite being unable to count them, my pale skin could be more pale and who cares anymore if I'm a middle child. But the bright red-hair has turned a rusty red and perhaps you have noticed that one of the few gifts my father ever gave me was a balding head. Thanks dad. So I keep it really short in an effort at acceptance of my baldness and some might think I wear a cap to hide my baldness but I love hats and have worn them since I was in high school.

At any rate I came across a recent study at the University of Pennsylvania that brought some comfort to me and my thinning noggin. The study found:
  
In one of the experiments, [they] showed 344 subjects photos of the same men in two versions: one showing the man with hair and the other showing him with his hair digitally removed, so his head appears shaved.

...the subjects reported finding the men with shaved heads as more dominant than their hirsute counterparts. In one test, men with shorn heads were even perceived as an inch taller and about 13 percent stronger than those with fuller manes...

The study found that men with thinning hair were viewed as the least attractive and powerful of the bunch, a finding that tracks with other studies showing that people perceive men with typical male-pattern baldness — which affects roughly 35 million Americans — as older and less attractive. For those men, the solution could be as cheap and simple as a shave.

Men with buzzed heads were associated with alpha males, members of the military, and action movie stars. The study also suggested that power-buzzed men are seen as being better leaders. So there you have it guys with lots of beautiful hair - Henry I'm looking in your direction! Bald or buzzed heads are...good? Of course I'm hesitant to point out this last comment but the article concluded but noting:

And how about men with a full head of hair?

Sorry, they're still seen as more attractive, if less dominant, than their hairless counterparts, according to the study.

Well...can't win them all.

1 comment:

Katrine said...

Yes, Daniel, you are so powerful.